We loved these Israeli Kitchen recipes in 2017 – and you did, too

In this time of giving, receiving, celebrating and reflecting, it's important to remember that sometimes, the best things come in small packages.

Tiny ones, to be exact. A simple combination of bite-size "tiny" potatoes and a pungent, aromatic garlic butter was the recipe that won the hearts of Israeli Kitchen's devotees in 2017. In fact, it was the most-visited of our recipes of the entire year.

Schug (Mediterranean hot sauce)

If you like hot sauce, this is the spread for you. (Photo: kostrez/Shutterstock)

Sit down at any legit, hard-scrabble hummus joint, and
order your plate of hummus, tahini and a hard-boiled egg, with or
without beans. Chances are you'll get this on the side: schug, a
fiery sauce originating in Yemen that really heats up a meal. And our readers clearly love a little heat.

Halvah

Making halvah at home is easier than you think. (Photo: Miriam Kresh)

Halvah is having a moment. This sweet, fudge-like treat is made with ground sesame seeds, and when it's sold in bakeries or dessert shops, it usually comes in several flavors: chocolate, pistachio, coffee bean, poppy seed and more. But clearly a large portion of you weren't content just going out and buying this stuff. No, you wanted to learn how to make it at home! So we delivered.

Instant Pot London broil

This is the London broil recipe you'll keep for years and pass to the next generation. (Photo: stockcreations
/
Shutterstock)

Of all the kitchen gadgets we really took a shine to this year, the Instant Pot leads the pack. This appliance really does it all – including whipping up this juicy, steamy London broil. It's tender, flavorful and done in less than an hour. Take that, slow cooker!

Falafel

When your food channel's name is Israeli Kitchen, there's one thing you take very, very seriously, and that's falafel. For our take on the popular street food, we aimed for a crispy, light exterior and a warm, cozy filling in each falafel ball. And we showed you precisely how it's done, in the video above.

Malabi (Israeli milk pudding)

Malabi (Photo: Christian Jung/Shutterstock)

One of Israel's best-kept snack secrets is malabi, a milk-based pudding. You might liken it to
rice or tapioca pudding. Our recipe provides not one, but two ways to make this treat, both yielding a creamy, smooth texture and just-sweet-enough flavor.

Hummus, 8 ways

Beet hummus adds a splash of color and a unique flavor to the average Mediterranean spread. (Photo: Elena M. Tarasova
/
Shutterstock)

In its purest form,
hummus is smooth, creamy dipping bliss. We don't deny that the typical
chickpea-tahini-garlic-olive oil
combination is as close as it gets to perfection – but why stop there?
With or without chickpeas, baked or raw, these delicious recipes dare to call
themselves "hummus," and we're not standing in their way.

Get all 8 recipes here. For our video on how to make original hummus, click here.

Chocolate peanut butter kitchen s'mores

There's something really comforting about a campfire-style dessert
without the campfire, don't you agree? Clearly you do. Turns out many of you preferred to savor this gooey, chocolatey, nutty hot treat from the comfort of your kitchen rather than among the outdoorsmen of the world. We salute you!